Is Emerald Urethane a Good Paint?

Let's start with the cost of Emerald Urethane Semi-gloss.

Sherwin Williams Emerald is a premium grade urethane paint that retails for $92.00. Our painters like the paint and are always glad to see it on the job site. But at $92.00, when is the right time to splurge, and what exactly are you getting for $92.00.

With over 30 years of experience in the painting industry, I have tested this paint and would like to share my professional opinion of Emerald Urethane Semi-gloss.

A few notes:
• Zero VOC paint
• Comes in 3 sheens, satin, semi-gloss, and gloss.
• It can be tinted to any color.
• It is both an interior and exterior paint.
• Water clean-up
• It has some similar properties to oil paint.
• Dries quickly
• Can be recoated in 4 hours.
• Click here for a coupon of $66.49 per gallon.

My Opinion of Emerald Urethane Semi-gloss.....Coverage
In my professional opinion of Emerald Urethane Semi-gloss, the coverage was good, not great. It did not cover as well as other premium paints such as Ben Moore Arura.

However, Ben Moore Aura Semi-gloss best feature is its coverage.

When two coats are brushed or rolled, Emerald Urethane Semi-gloss covers easily even when changing colors.
Coverage Grade 8 out 0f 10

Workability
In my opinion, the Emerald Urethane Semi-gloss has great workability, but all premium paints have excellent workability except Regal Semi-gloss by Ben Moore.

The Emerald Urethane glides on easily and effortlessly. I was able to get 32-38" of linear coverage from on dip of the brush. Also, the second coat glides on equally as easy as the first.
Workability Grade 10 out of 10

Touch-up
The Emerald Urethane Semi-gloss touches- up very well. I could not detect how a third coat changed the sheen. I did notice that the smoothness of the wood increased with each coat but not the sheen.
Touch-Up Grade 10 out of 10
Is Emerald Urethane Washable and Durable?
This is where this paint really shines. I applied:
• Catsup
• Mustard
• Red Wine
• Coffee
• Pencil
• Crayon
and allowed it to dry for 24 hours.

Mustard and red wine stains have been the most stubborn stains to be removed. Fortunately, all the stains were removed using Krud Kutter and a microfiber cloth.
Emerald Urethane Semi-gloss seems to have a barrier that prevents the stains from grabbing hold.
In my professional opinion of Emerald Urethane Semi-gloss, it gets an easy 10 out of 10 for washability and durability.

Self Priming
Typically, my self-priming test is to paint the product directly over spackle and see if there is any sheen difference after a few coats. But for this test, I painted the Emerald Urethane directly over oil gloss paint and gloss oil polyurethane. In both cases, Emerald grabbed on to the surfaces. The polyurethane was sanded, but the gloss oil paint was not! This is a great accomplishment from the chemist at Sherwin Williams. Having a paint stick over a glossy oil paint without even sanding is unique indeed.

Self Priming Grade: 10 out of 10
Value and Final Thoughts of Emerald Urethane Semi-gloss
For a retail price of $92.00, this paint better is amazing, and in many respects, it is. It's so easy to apply that it almost jumps out of the can. If this were a $30.00 paint, I would give the coverage a 10 out of 10, but it's not. However, when it comes to workability, washability, durability, self-priming, and touch-up. Emerald Urethane Semi-gloss is as good as any.
It also has one other positive feature; it self-levels very well. Not the best I have ever seen, C2 Cabinet paint and Eco by Fine Paints of Europe surpass have better self-leveling. But better than Ben Moore Regal, PPG Manor Hall Semi-Gloss. To be fair, Regal and Manor Hall are half the cost.

The overall finish:
The feel of the paint is not glassy or extra smooth. It feels to me like sharkskin. PPG Manor Hall, Regal, Aura, and even Ben Semi-gloss all have a much smoother surface.
Where to use:
Smooth Woodwork where washability and self-leveling is important. In my opinion of Emerald Urethane Semi-gloss would be great for:
• Doors
• Door jams
• Windows
• Wanes Cote
• Exterior Trim
• Shutters
• Bookcases
• Painting over oil paint

Not my first choice but still good:
• Kitchen Cabinets Why? It could have better self-leveling capabilities and to feel.
• Mantle Why? I like a mantle that is super smooth.
• Walls Why? To expensive. Other options for half the cost would be Duration Satin.

When NOT to buy:
• Selling your home
• rental properties
• where washability/ durability / and self-leveling are not necessary.

In my opinion, the Emerald Urethane Semi-gloss has excellent value.
Just being able to be an interior and exterior paint can be a great benefit. It also has everything that you would want in a paint.
It does come with an expensive price tag between $66.00 - $92.00, but there is a lot of upsides if you need what this paint offers.
Overall Value 8.5